UJohane 3
1 Kwakukhona-ke umuntu wakubaFarisi, nguNikodima ibizo lakhe, isikhulu samaJuda;
There was a man named Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council.
2 lo weza kuJesu ebusuku, wathi kuye: Rabi, siyazi ukuthi ungumfundisi ovela kuNkulunkulu; ngoba kakho ongenza lezizibonakaliso ozenzayo wena, uba uNkulunkulu engelaye.
He came at night to where Jesus was and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God, for nobody could do the miraculous signs you're doing unless God was with him.”
3 UJesu waphendula wathi kuye: Ngiqinisile, ngiqinisile, ngithi kuwe: Ngaphandle kokuthi umuntu azalwe ngokutsha, angewubone umbuso kaNkulunkulu.
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “Unless you are reborn, you can't experience God's kingdom.”
4 UNikodima wathi kuye: Umuntu angazalwa njani esemdala? Angangena yini ngokwesibili esiswini sikanina azalwe?
“How can you be reborn when you're old?” Nicodemus asked. “You can't go back into your mother's womb and be born a second time!”
5 UJesu waphendula wathi: Ngiqinisile, ngiqinisile, ngithi kuwe: Uba umuntu engazalwanga ngamanzi langoMoya, angengene embusweni kaNkulunkulu.
“I tell you the truth, you can't enter God's kingdom unless you are born of water and the Spirit,” Jesus told him.
6 Lokho okuzelwe yinyama kuyinyama; lalokho okuzelwe nguMoya kungumoya.
“What's born of the flesh is flesh, and what's born of the Spirit is Spirit.
7 Ungamangali ukuthi ngithe kuwe: Kufanele ukuthi lizalwe ngokutsha.
Don't be surprised at my telling you, ‘You must be reborn.’
8 Umoya uphephethela lapho othanda khona, uyawuzwa umdumo wawo, kodwa kawazi lapho ovela khona lalapho oya khona; unjalo wonke ozelwe nguMoya.
The wind blows wherever it wants, and just as you hear the sound it makes, but don't know where it's coming from or where it's going, that's how it is for everyone who is born of the spirit.”
9 UNikodima waphendula wathi kuye: Lezizinto zingenzeka njani?
“How is this possible?” Nicodemus asked.
10 UJesu waphendula wathi kuye: Wena ungumfundisi wakoIsrayeli, kodwa kawuzazi lezizinto yini?
“You're a famous teacher in Israel, and yet you don't understand such things?” Jesus replied.
11 Ngiqinisile, ngiqinisile, ngithi kuwe: Sikhuluma esikwaziyo, sifakaze esikubonileyo; kodwa kalibemukeli ubufakazi bethu.
“I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know and give evidence regarding what we have seen, but you refuse to accept our testimony.
12 Nxa ngilitshelile izinto zomhlaba njalo lingakholwa, lizakholwa njani, uba ngilitshela izinto zezulwini?
If you don't trust what I say when I tell you about earthly things, how would you ever trust what I say if I were to tell you about heavenly things?
13 Njalo kakho owake wenyukela ezulwini, ngaphandle kowehla ezulwini, iNdodana yomuntu esezulwini.
No one has gone up to heaven, but the Son of man came down from heaven.
14 Futhi njengoba uMozisi waphakamisa inyoka enkangala, ngokunjalo iNdodana yomuntu imele ukuphakanyiswa;
Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of man must be lifted up,
that everyone who trusts in him will have eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
16 Ngoba uNkulunkulu wawuthanda umhlaba ngokunjalo, ngakho wanika iNdodana yakhe ezelwe yodwa, ukuze wonke okholwa kuyo angabhubhi, kodwa abe lempilo elaphakade. (aiōnios g166)
For God loved the world, and this is how: he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who trusts in him shouldn't die, but have eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
17 Ngoba uNkulunkulu kayithumanga iNdodana yakhe emhlabeni ukuthi iwulahle umhlaba, kodwa ukuze umhlaba usindiswe ngayo.
God didn't send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Okholwa kiyo kalahlwa; kodwa ongakholwayo uselahliwe, ngoba engakholwanga ebizweni leNdodana kaNkulunkulu ezelwe yodwa.
Those who trust in him are not condemned, while those who don't trust in him are condemned already because they didn't trust in the one and only Son of God.
19 Ukulahlwa kuyilokhu, ukuthi ukukhanya kufikile emhlabeni, kodwa abantu bathanda ubumnyama kulokukhanya; ngoba imisebenzi yabo yayimibi.
This is how the decision is made: the light came to the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light, for their actions were evil.
20 Ngoba wonke owenza okubi uzonda ukukhanya, njalo kezi ekukhanyeni, ukuze imisebenzi yakhe ingasolwa.
All those who do evil hate the light and don't come into the light, because they don't want their actions to be exposed.
21 Kodwa owenza iqiniso uyeza ekukhanyeni, ukuze imisebenzi yakhe ibonakale, ukuthi yenziwe kuNkulunkulu.
But those who do good come into the light, so that what God accomplishes in them can be revealed.”
22 Emva kwalezizinto uJesu weza elizweni leJudiya labafundi bakhe; njalo wahlala khona kanye labo njalo wabhabhathiza.
After this Jesus and his disciples went into Judea and spent some time with the people, baptizing them.
23 UJohane laye wayebhabhathiza eEnoni eduze leSalima, ngoba kwakulamanzi amanengi khona; njalo babesiza bebhabhathizwa.
John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there and people kept coming to be baptized.
24 Ngoba uJohane wayengakaphoselwa entolongweni.
(This was before John was imprisoned.)
25 Kwasekusiba khona ukuphikisana phakathi kwabafundi bakaJohane lamaJuda ngokuhlambulula.
An argument developed between John's disciples and a Jew over ceremonial purification.
26 Basebesiza kuJohane bathi kuye: Rabi, lowo owawulaye ngaphetsheya kweJordani, owamfakazelayo, khangela yena uyabhabhathiza, njalo bayeza kuye bonke.
They went to John and told him, “Rabbi, the man you were with on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you testified in support of—see, now he's baptizing, and everyone is going to him!”
27 UJohane waphendula wathi: Umuntu angemukele ulutho, ngaphandle kokuthi alunikwe luvela ezulwini.
“No one receives anything unless they're given it from heaven,” John replied.
28 Lina ngokwenu liyangifakazela ukuthi ngathi: Kangisuye uKristu mina, kodwa ukuthi ngithunyiwe ngaphambi kwakhe.
“You yourselves can testify that I declared, ‘I'm not the Messiah. I've been sent to prepare his way.’
29 Olomakoti ungumyeni; kodwa umngane womyeni, omiyo emuzwa, uthokoza ngentokozo ngelizwi lomyeni; ngakho lintokozo yami isiphelele.
The bridegroom is the one who has the bride! The best man waits, listening for the bridegroom, and is so happy when he hears the bridegroom's voice—in the same way my happiness is now complete.
30 Umele ukukhula yena, kodwa mina nginciphe.
He must become more important, and I must become less important.”
31 Ovela phezulu uphezu kwakho konke. Ovela emhlabeni, ungowomhlaba, njalo ukhuluma okomhlaba; ovela ezulwini uphezu kwakho konke.
He who comes from above is greater than all; he who comes from the earth belongs to the earth and talks about earthly things. He who comes from heaven is greater than all.
32 Lalokho akubonileyo lakuzwileyo, ufakaza khona; kodwa kakho owemukela ubufakazi bakhe.
He gives evidence about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts what he has to say.
33 Owemukele ubufakazi bakhe uphawulile ukuthi uNkulunkulu uqinisile.
Yet anyone who accepts what he says confirms that God is truthful.
34 Ngoba lowo uNkulunkulu amthumileyo, ukhuluma amazwi kaNkulunkulu; ngoba uNkulunkulu umnika uMoya kungeyisikho ngesilinganiso.
For the one God sent speaks God's words, because God doesn't restrict the Spirit.
35 UYise uyayithanda iNdodana, njalo unikele izinto zonke esandleni sayo.
The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.
36 Yena okholwa eNdodaneni ulempilo elaphakade; kodwa yena ongakholwayo eNdodaneni, kayikubona impilo, kodwa ulaka lukaNkulunkulu luhlezi phezu kwakhe. (aiōnios g166)
Anyone who trusts in the Son has eternal life, but anyone who refuses to trust the Son will not experience eternal life but remains under God's condemnation. (aiōnios g166)
